I'd agree with Don on the usefulness of the Battery Tender. I keep the GTS plugged in all the time. I rode the GTS about a month ago, having not ridden it since early August...took less than 2 seconds to start up. I mounted a BMW receptacle in the left side fairing with a fused link directly to the battery (center pin positive), and put a BMW plug on the Battery Tender wire. Plugs in, works great, unplugs and has a spring loaded cover for the receptacle.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Regards, Henry S. Winokur 94 GTS1000, R1100RT-P, AMA, MRF, Nationally Certified Riding Instructor Columbia, MD Ride for Kids Task Force West Bethesda, MD USA > -----Original Message----- > From: GTS-1000 Owners List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf > Of D.R. McClellan > Sent: Friday, November 22, 2002 2:48 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Rob's battery woes... > > > Test... Test... Is this thing on? > > Hi Rob! > > Don McClellan here, remember me? > > Hey, I concur with folks that your battery is smoked. The clock symptom > was pretty telling. > > I'd like to step up with a few words on trickle chargers. (Throw > it away!) > > Ignore me if you've heard this, but I just signed on to the digest for the > first time in about 3 1/2 years. > > The biggest thing is that as the amperage drawn by the battery drops from > the battery becoming fully charged, the voltage goes up. I > measured one of > my old chargers at 18V! For folks who like to fool with hydrometers and > are willing to calculate appropriate charge times and wake up in > the middle > of the night to turn them off, trickle chargers are ALMOST helpful tools. > > I used to buy new batteries every year for all my bikes. I > thought that was > just part of the deal living with hot summers and tiny batteries. > Somebody > turned me on to the "Super Smart Battery Tender" (lame name, cool > tool) for > $50. There are other voltage regulated small chargers out there that are > probably great too and for probably less money. The cool things about the > SSBT are that the voltage level remains constant below the > gassing point of > the electrolyte, and once the battery stops taking more charge, > the current > level drops to a low maintenance level charge. So, you can plug the thing > in and forget about it and the electrolyte doesn't boil off and the plates > don't warp. Again, I'm sure there are other chargers that do this, I'm > just familiar (and happy) with the SSBT. Anyhow, the thing more than paid > for itself the first year in that I didn't smoke my batteries during the > winter. I now get an average of about 4 years out of my batteries. > > _ o > _ / = > Later, > _ (_)==(_) Don > > ------------ > Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 20:38:48 +1100 > From: Rob Chapman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Help, please, my baby won't start! > > Yesterday I went to start her, and the battery was flat. I put the battery > on a trickle charge for 30 hours, and just went to start her 20 mins ago. > Absolutely nothing happened when I turned the key to the ON position, > except > that the clock, which was/is showing 1.00, and flashing the colon sign, at > the off position, vanished! Normally the lights go on (Aussie Rules), and > everything else lights up. > Have I just finished off the battery, or is there something else that I > should look at? > All suggestions appreciated! > Thank you! > Rob in the Aussie bush, 65 km from the nearest shop! > Regards, > Rob Chapman >
